Illegal appointments go unnoticed in JK

‘Most hit are corporations’

Srinagar, Nov 25 (KNS): Though number of times House Committees were constituted in Jammu and Kashmir to look into the illegal and backdoor appointments made in the state government departments, especially in public undertaking, the successive governments over the years has failed to book those involved in these back door appointments.
Sources told KNS that the government run corporations and some government departments are riddled with political intervention even today in their day to day working. “Top officials in the corporations in connivance with some former ministers and politicians have over the years made hundreds of backdoor appointments.
Maximum beneficiaries were political workers who were adjusted in different corporations without considering fallout on the financial health of the corporations,” sources said.
Sources said that unfortunately the government over the years has so far failed to probe these appointments and book the culprits. “These illegal appointments have direct bearing on department especially in the corporations’ balance sheets and that the salary bills of the corporations are increasing with each passing year while the profits are declining,” sources maintained.
Sources revealed that over the years with political backing, under educated like 7th pass, middle pass, under Matric or Matriculate are being appointed in many government undertaking corporations and departments by putting all the rules and regulations to the wind.
Sources further informed that many of the backdoor appointees in some corporations were first appointed as consolidated and later placed in the grade pay within shortest possible time by setting all rules and regulations aside.
Sources said that the government corporation was self-reliant a few years ago but since, the financial condition of the majority of the corporations has deteriorated; now these are struggling to pay the salaries to the employees.
Sources said that dishonest officials have crippled the corporations which are now unable to generate the desired amount of revenue, the main source of money which is spent in development activities.
Sources said that corrupt officials in these corporations show a large portion of their annual budget as expenditures for various development projects in black and white, although, in reality, most of such projects were not initiated at all.
Sources said many house committees were constituted in Jammu and Kashmir to look into the illegal and backdoor appointments made in the state government departments, public undertakings and corporations.
However sources said that these committees never succeeded to probe the matter.
The sensational revelations about backdoor appointments of blue eyed persons had surfaced in a government reply in the last Assembly session.
The government had accepted that 22 appointments have been made in various Corporations falling under the Administrative Control of Industries and Commerce Department in last three years.
However, the PDP law maker Firdous Ahmad tak had claimed that over 100 persons were appointed in these departments during previous governments including about 20 such appointments were also made during current government.
Reacting to the allegations finance minister Dr Haseeb A Drabu had assured the house that government will investigate the matter.
However sources said that since then there is no headway in this regard.
One of the government officials admitted that the illegal appointments have been made in the corporations. “Though I could not say the exact figure but yes as they (daily wagers) were engaged illegally,” he said and added that there were clear Government instructions to departments not to engage daily wagers. “We can engage casual and seasonal labours but not daily wagers,” he added.
It is to mention here that, a large-scale illegal appointment racket had exposed in Urban Local Bodies Department that overlooks the functioning of 83 muncipal bodies across the state.
The department had made more than 1,500 illegal appointments, almost doubling the number of employees. The result: funds raised from local tax collection, devolution funds from the states revenue and developmental grants were exclusively utilized to pay salaries.
Sources said that in fact, the J&K government’s anti-corruption watchdog, Vigilance Organisation, has been probing serious complaints of irregularities in the Urban Local Bodies Department and other departments, however, the investigations never reached their logical conclusion because the corrupt officials were always shielded by top politicians.
It is to mention here that the Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur had deprecate illegal/backdoor appointments in Jammu and Kashmir and had issued guidelines for future recruitment.
“These very important directions have been passed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one who is a retired Assistant Engineer of the state and claimed to be a public spirited person. The contention of the petitioner is that in the state of Jammu and Kashmir about 7893 backdoor appointments were made in about ten departments which led to issuance of Circular number 09-GAD of 2013 dated March 26, 2013 calling upon the authorities to strictly observe the restrictions as contained in section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Special Provisions) Act, 2010 (hereafter referred to as ‘the Act’),” the High court directions had said. (KNS)

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